Now that State Secretary of Kingdom Relations Alexandra van Huffelen has sent the relevant Royal Decree to the Dutch Second Chamber of Parliament (see related story), St. Eustatius should get back its budget right suspended since February 2018 near the end of this month. To do so, the Island Council unanimously adopted a memorandum of understanding committing to implement remaining financial management improvement measures.
The budget right is obviously an important tool for elected representatives to control and give direction to the territory’s governing, so its restoration marks a major step in the return to full democracy. Although there will always be discussion about what took place five years ago and its justification, this less-than-positive chapter may soon hopefully be closed.
It seems almost ironic that some of the same local politicians sidelined back then due to alleged mismanagement and negligence were again voted into office. However, they too understand the need to put behind them what happened and deal with the many challenges ahead.
Among those is a possible closure of the Global Terminal Investment (GTI) oil transhipment and storage facility. An announced study must indicate various scenarios and their potential socioeconomic impact, but the latter is not rocket science.
This regards the biggest private sector employer on the island, never mind many indirect jobs its presence brings. Moreover, the current decrease in service provision is already having a negative effect as several subcontractors had to close due to downsizing.
One thing seems clear: Statia needs to quickly seek significant growth elsewhere and the hospitality industry offers the most realistic prospects, especially in dive-, heritage- and ecotourism. Promoting investment in and better marketing for such activities should have the highest priority rather than dwelling on a past that can’t be changed any more.
There is no time to waste in moving on.
